The Westfjords are the westernmost part of Iceland and the whole of Europe. The Westfjords are home to some off the most beautiful natural gems and off the beaten track attractions in Iceland.

The Westfjords are a wide area stretching as a peninsula to the northwest of the mainland. The peninsula is all mountainous with numerous fjords of varying length.

The town Isafjordur in the fjord Skutulsfjordur serves as the capital of the region, with around 3000 inhabitants. There are many fishing villages in the fjords, as good fishing banks are found around the Wesfjords.

The agriculture is very scant, due to the steepness of the mountains and the lowland is limited. Below are some of the best natural attractions you can find in the Westfjords.

Hornstrandir nature reserve

Many places in the Westfjords are now deserted, such as the northernmost part of the peninsula: Hornstrandir. Hornstrandir is a holy place for travelers who seek solitude, wildlife, breathtaking scenery and great hiking trails. Don´t miss it if you´re looking for peacefulness.

Dynjandi waterfall

Dynjandi ('Thunderous') is one of Iceland’s most beautiful waterfalls. This is really a series of waterfalls, seven altogether, with a cumulative hight of 100 meters. The trapezoidal shape of its main uppermost tier is particularly notable (40 m wide at the top, 60 m at the bottom.

Latrabjarg Birdcliff

Europe’s westernmost part is in The Westfjords, the massive vertical seacliff Latrabjarg, over 400 meters high with millions of seabirds nesting there. In 1947 a British trawler stranded there. Local farmers managed to safe most of the fishermen by heaving them by rope 190 meters up into the air. This heroic deed has been filmed.

Raudisandur Beach & Sjounda

The beach by the cliff is called Raudisandur, rare for its pale red, almost pink sand. Along with many seabirds, the beach also features hundreds of seals.

Innermost of Raudisandur are the remnants of the farm Sjounda. At the beginning of the 19th century it was a site for one of Iceland’s most famous murder cases.

Two farmers lived there with there wives but the one farmer fell in love with the other's wife and she with him and they were later sentenced to death for murdering their spouses. This dramatic event later served as an inspiration for Icelandic author Gunnar Gunnarsson's masterful novel Svartfugl (The Black Cliffs).

Hornstrandir is a nature reserve located in the Westfjords, in the North West of Iceland. The total area covers 580 km2 (220 sq mi) of tundra, cliffsides, flowering fields and ice. The glacier, Drangajökull, sits to the region’s southern area.

The nature reserve was established in 1975. Its borders encompass the picturesque fjords Hrafnfjörður and Furufjörður, finishing at Skorarheiði moor. Also included within the reserve is the district of Grunnaví­kurhreppur, the rural district of Sléttuhreppur and the Jökulfirðir fjords. The Nature and Food Agency is responsible for the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve.

History

Given the nature reserve’s isolated location, it makes sense that Hornstrandir has a rich history quite distinct from that of mainland Iceland. Farming was difficult given the region’s terrain and tall cliffs, so early settlers chose fishing and the hunting of birds as their primary livelihood. Those who lived there often stayed in abodes of some distance to one another, making travelling to and from farmsteads difficult in the wintertime. In this respect, life at Hornstrandir was lonely and difficult to sustain.

Outlaws often travelled to Hornstrandir in the hope of boarding foreign ships and embarking to start a new life abroad. Aside from fearing the law, such travellers also had to watch out for polar bears who, every so often, would float ashore on an ice cap or swim over from neighbouring Greenland.

Flora and Fauna

There are approximately 260 different species of flowering plant and fern that grow in Hornstrandir; many of these are native across the entirety of the Westfjords, others are unique only to the reserve. One of the reasons for this luscious abundance of plant life is because Hornstrandir has been devoid of grazing animals for several decades. Knee-high plant life will often stretch out for kilometres, culminating in a challenging hike through the wilderness.

Ever since the 1950s, Hornstrandir has been devoid of permanent human residents. The area is inaccessible to motorised traffic, and only a few old buildings and farmsteads now allude to the area’s history of settlement. It is, however, home to Iceland’s only native mammal, the cheeky, yet elusive, Arctic Fox, who preys upon the birds nesting along Hornstrandir’s towering cliff-faces. There is a hunting ban across Hornstrandir, meaning the fox populations are free to live without the threat of human intrusion.

The other most prominent mammal in the region are field mice, though these are, naturally, more difficult to spot. As for birdlife, enthusiasts can spot nesting Arctic Terns, Puffins and Black Guillemots. The region has the two of the largest bird cliffs in Europe, overshadowing the coastal paradise that is Hornvík Bay.

Activities at Hornstrandir

Those looking to hike, explore and stay at Hornstrandir must bring a tent and supplies if they’re looking to camp overnight. As previously stated, the nature reserve has no roads, permanent dwellings or shops, meaning that those who take to the wild here must be self-sustaining. Travelling here requires much forethought and visitors must be fully prepared with food, water, warm layers of clothing and sturdy hiking boots.

Hiking to Hornbjarg is a must-do activity in Hornstrandir; this is the area's most iconic natural feature, a towering cliff at the top of the nature reserve

The region is only accessible for organised trips during the summer months (May, June, July and, occasionally, August). During the winter, only specially permitted excursions are allowed to enter the area.

Isafjardardjup ('Icefjord's Deep') is a large fjord in the Westfjords of Iceland. The north side of the fjord has one inlet, Kaldalon, but the south one has several fjords of its own.

The fjords of the south side are Skutulsfjordur (home of Isafjordur town, capital of the Westfjords) Alftafjordur, Seydisfjordur, Hestfjordur, Skotufjordur, Mjoifjordur and Isafjordur (not to be confused with the aforementioned town).

Isafardardjup has three islands. Aedey and Vigur have one farm each by Borgarey is uninhabited. The area is rich with seals and birdlife and offers magnificent scenery. In Skotufjordur there's a restored farm, originally built in 1894, with an exhibition about the farmers' life in former times.

Ísafjörður is a town in the northwest of Iceland and the largest settlement of the Westfjords of Iceland.

Ísafjörður is located on a spit within the fjord Skutulsfjörður, which is part of the larger fjord Ísafjarðardjúp. The town is the largest settlement in the Icelandic Westfjords with a population of around 2,600 people. Its main industries are fishing and tourism.

History

According to Iceland’s Book of Settlement, the fjord Skutulsfjörður was first settled in the 9th century by a man called Helgi Magri Hrólfsson. Around the 16th century, Ísafjörður grew rapidly due to it becoming a merchant trading post. The town was granted municipal status in 1786.

The oldest house still standing in Iceland, built in 1734, is located in Ísafjörður as part of the local folk museum. The area also includes the most extensive body of old timber frame houses in the country, constructed in the 18th century by foreign traders. One of these is Tjöruhús, now a seafood restaurant, and another Turnhús, now a maritime museum.

Throughout its history, Ísafjörður has inhabited one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. Several factors, however; such as fishing restrictions in the 1980s, drops in the fish population and monopolisation from bigger fisheries in Reykjavík; have led to a sizeable decline in the town’s population. In recent years, the tourism industry has yet again created local jobs and economic prosperity for the town.

Nature

The climate of the Westfjords and Ísafjörður is tundra, bordering closely on subarctic, meaning the winters are cold and the summers cool. Due to Ísafjörður being located in a fjord surrounded by steep mountains, during the peak of the winter solstice, the rays of the sun don’t reach the town for weeks on end.

Events and Happenings

Ísafjörður, despite its isolation and small population, boasts a proportionately urban atmosphere. The town hosts a multitude of events and festivals attended by people from all over Iceland, such as the Ski Week Festival, the Act Alone theatre festival, the European Championship of Swamp Soccer and alternative music festival Aldrei fór ég suður.